Thread: irresponsible weight?

Untill I can afford to buy some more equipment I have had to join a local gym.
Besides sometimes having to wait for a machine the only thing that really annoys me is this one instructor that has a go at me for the amount of weight that I use for my compound exercises. "That's irresponsible weights man! Take half those plates off and do twice as many reps or you will just wear yourself out. I would know, I study this stuff." I don't know where he "studies" but every bodybuilding article I have read in the last three years has supported working sets to failure in a low rep range such as 4 - 8 reps. If I can perform the exercise with good form and do more than 8 reps I increase it next time. As for wearing myself out, that's what I'm there for, to blast muscle fibres and ligaments to stimulate growth. Not to waste my time chatting and doing 25 reps of every set. Am I right? Or is there some weight to his argument?

Although there is nothing wrong with cycling in repetition ranges that are higher, there is also nothing wrong with using weight in the 4-8 range. I usually stick to that range myself, or even lower. I do singles, doubles, and triples periodically as well. For some exercises, like deadlifts, I like to get really heavy all the time.

Using heavier weights is more stimulating for your central nervous system, which typically leads to greater gains in strength. If your goal is hypertrophy, then you may very well want to consider cycling in other rep ranges, especially for the legs.